Now that it was pointed out, I agree that photo could be photoshopped. However, you aren't likely to find any pictures of a skinny Dr. Atkins except when he was young.
The only nutrient that is said to not be available in a plant based diet is B-12. Keep in mind, B-12 is reused efficiently in the body. People on a plant based diet will almost always test low for B-12, but they will seldom have symptoms. Meat eaters become symptomatic because of a folate deficiency. That's why so many foods have folic acid in them.
B-12 is manufactured in the large intestine, and recent research is suggesting it is produced all through the digestive system. I don't have enough confidence in that research to give a reference. Bluntly, B-12 comes from inhaled **ahem** from animals of all types. When people work around animals or frequently walk on trails where pack animals have been, they inhale and swallow enough B-12. Since not many people do this, Dr. McDougall recommends a supplement once a week after three years.
If you read section 3 of this reference, you will find where Omega acids come from.
You are weight lifting to build muscle mass and are eating extra protein to facilitate this. Dr. McDougall explains the effects of eating too much protein in this article. My favorite quote is something like "You build muscle by hard work, not by hard eating."
Many say a person cannot gain muscle while losing weight. They also say you can't build muscle without extra protein. My personal story shows differently. Granted, it's only one person.
Background: I started losing weight on May 15th. I only had 17 pounds to lose. At first, I was going to lose 24, but my body fat percentage went down enough so I don't need to lose more. I started running about 6.8 miles most days and was burning 4,000 calores a day for the first month or so. Then on Jun 9th, I pulled a muscle in my back, so I couldn't run or walk far. I still did many household chores to keep active and stayed around 4,000 calories a day. Then around June 25th I pulled an achilles tendon jumping rope. I started weight lifting shortly before. If you look at my profile, you will see my step count is low and so is my calorie burn.
My proteins were from 11 to 13% of my calories during this time. I track everything carefully and use Fitbit premium to get the weekly averages.
Let's look at the results. Keep in mind, lean mass is not the same as muscle. It's about 45% muscle. All meausrements were done at the same time on an Aria scale. The direction is confirmed by another scale I have. I suspect the Aria is 2 or 3% low on body fat, but it's consistent.
My weight went from 191.3 to 173.8 lbs. I'm 6'0" tall. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to stop here or go to 165. It depends on my fat percentage.
My fat went from 52 pounds to 25.9 pounds. That's expected while losing weight. What was not expected is the gain in lean mass.
My lean mass went from 139.0 to 147.9 pounds. I agree there is no way to determine how much of this was muscle weight, but people would be all over it if the lean mass went the other way.
Hopefully, you are still with me. Dr. McDougall stated quite clearly in one of his videos he would support small amounts of meat in the diet, but people wouldn't stick to "small amounts."
There are other good diets that include small amounts of meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. The Pritikin diet for one. Ken Cooper who was the father of Aerobics -- he invented the word. Jack LaLanne in his book "Live Young Forever." Dr. John Kellogg, who people love to misquote and hate. People forget his vocation was treating patients with severe constipation.
What harm is there in watching his videos? Sometimes, it's good to know what a person is really against.
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@GershonSurge wrote:
Now that it was pointed out, I agree that photo could be photoshopped. However, you aren't likely to find any pictures of a skinny Dr. Atkins except when he was young.
Really??? Would love to know what your definition of young is....
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@Mukluk4 wrote:
@GershonSurge wrote:
Now that it was pointed out, I agree that photo could be photoshopped. However, you aren't likely to find any pictures of a skinny Dr. Atkins except when he was young.
Really??? Would love to know what your definition of young is....
It's sometimes difficult to determine what's fat in a picture without a comparison.
Dr. McDougall is in the front with the dark suit. He is 69 years old, 6'0 inches tall and generally weights 161 pounds, which is the center of his normal weight range. I think the person to his left is Dr. Esselstyn who is 82 or 83. The person in the back is Dennis Burkit who lived to be 82. He is the one credited with teaching the importance of fiber in the diet. I think the person Dr. McDougall is shaking hands with is his son.
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Dietary fat doesn't make you fat and neither do carbs. Eating more calories than you burn makes you fat.
The graph below shows my calorie intake, weight and calorie burn during my weight loss phase. I started out eating 50 grams of fat per day and 169 grams of carbs per day. By the time I got to my goal weight I was eating 88 grams of fat per day and 320 grams of carbs per day. So, I lost weight by increasing both my fat intake and carb intake. Macro nutrients don't really matter that much when it comes to weight loss -- calories are king.
So, I got to my ideal weight without eating low carb, low fat or low calorie. I got to my goal weight by burning more calories than I consumed. I didn't need to eat low fat and I certainly didn't need to transition to a ketogenic state. I ate a reasonable balanced diet that averaged 30% fat, 45% carbs and 25% protein. I ate pizza, steak, pasta, tomatoes, potatoes and drank beer. No dogma. No frills. No books. No videos. I just ate less than I burned.
Since getting to my goal weight I have actually reduced processed foods but it has had no impact on my weight. It's probably healthier for me to eat the way I do now (mostly but not all whole foods) but nutrition and weight loss are 2 separate topics in my opinion.
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